Asos’ Autumn Email Campaign Analysis

On first click into Asos’ event triggered email campaign for 25% off selected autumn fashion, the recipient is  presented with a bold, eye-catching statement matching the subject line of the email ‘25% off Autumn’. As one would imagine, the call-to-action is displayed as a large image with their representation of ‘autumn fashion’, modelled by a female in which the image is hyperlinked, re-directing the customer to the landing page where this offer is available. Not only is the large image centered at the top of the page ensuring the purpose of the email is not missed, just below is the deadline of this offer. This creates a sense of urgency and will encourage people to act instantaneously before the sale ends, and according to Mohammadi, M et al (2013), generating a statement that pushes customers to act immediately is a strong call-to-action and is extremely valuable. What is also good about Asos’ CTA is that it’s simple yet effective – it tells the recipient exactly what the email is about without going into too much detail and using excessive text. Douglas Karr from marketingtechblog outlines what makes a call-to-action effective.

25-off-autumn

 

After clicking on the call-to-action image, the hyperlink re-directs the user to the landing page where you can shop all their women’s autumn fashion pieces at 25% off. The page is completely relevant and transparent, wasting no time in showing the user exactly what the page is about as it uses the headline ‘25% off autumn essentials’, which also links directly with the email campaign. Everything is as you would expect from the Asos website, the page is uniform with the rest of their shopping pages, making it easy for the user to navigate and select various options including size, colour, product type etc. One criticism regarding the landing page is that it loses the urgency aspect that the email had; it does not remind the customer about the end date of the offer.

asos-landing-page

In addition to the effective call-to-action feature in the email, Asos have also included illustrations/images that help to engage the reader and grab their attention, which is exactly what images should do in emails (Ellis-Chadwick, F and Doherty, N.F, 2012). It perhaps gives the recipient some inspiration for autumn style by presenting them with some key trends this season. Whilst doing so, they have also reminded or informed customers that they can purchase the pieces shown in the images from a particular brand of clothing (Pull and Bear), via Asos. However, the inclusion of the Pull and Bear advert does not link in with the 25% off offer, which can be somewhat misleading or confusing considering the subject line is promoting the sale, not what Pull and Bear have in stock. As mentioned in the Journal of Business Research article on Web-Advertising, the body of the email should relate to the subject and headline in order for it to be an effective email. Therefore, in terms of the usefulness of the images, it certainly helps to excite the customer for what Asos have online, but it doesn’t necessarily build on or further promote the offer. Instead of advertising Pull and Bear, Asos would more likely benefit from showing images of some discounted items included in the offer that are also considered key trends. By doing this, it not only shows customers the ‘stylish’ pieces that they can buy at a discounted price, but also helps give them an idea of what to look for and what’s available.

pull-and-bear

One feature that Asos should have included is the personalisation aspect. According to Donna Talarico (writer and marketing consultant), personalisation results in greater success rates, particularly personalised subject lines which can increase the number of emails opened by 26%. In addition to this, it makes the email seem more friendly and less of a simple marketing or sales tactic. However, Asos have targeted this email towards their female customers judging by the images used and the promotion of women’s clothing, which in some ways is slightly personalised as it is more gender specific. But disappointingly, it is clear that Asos have sent the same email to all their female customers as the images are not related to the recipients previous searches or transactional history, and therefore the images may not be of any interest to them. With email automation, email campaigns can feel slightly robotic and generalised, so in order for Asos to build a stronger relationship with their customers, they should personalise their emails even if it is simply adding the recipient’s name in the subject line. The Telegraph have an article illustrating the importance of personalised email marketing and how easy it is for brands to incorporate this into their emails. Fabletics have a good example of an effortless personalised email where they included my name in the subject line.

fabletics

 

 

 

References:

Ellis-Chadwick, F., & Doherty, N. F. (2012). Web advertising: The role of e-mail marketing. Journal of Business Research, 65(6), 843-848.

Karr, D. (2016) Call to Action: What is a CTA? [online] <https://marketingtechblog.com/what-is-a-call-to-action/> [accessed 3 November 2016]

Mohammadi, M., Malekian, K., Nosrati, M., & Karimi, R. (2013). Email Marketing as a Popular Type of Small Business Advertisement: A Short Review. Australian Journal of Basic and Applied Sciences, 7(4), 786-790.

Talarico, D. (2016). From Inbox to Enroll: Email Marketing Tips. Journal of Recruiting and Retaining Adult Learners. 18(11), 1-3.

The Telegraph (2015) Why email marketing is still the leader of the pack. The Telegraph. 7 January 2015. [online] <http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sponsored/business/business-reporter/11127852/email-marketing-platform.html> [accessed 3 November 2016]